Alcoholics Anonymous Books

This is the
4th Chicago Big Book Seminar At Schiller Park, IL
May 21, 22, 23, 1993

Presented by Charlie P. (from Maysville, AR.)
and
Joe McQ. (from Little Rock, AR.)
Total of 8 audio cassettes edition.

THE BEST IS FOR THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTING IN THE THIS TITLE AND SUBJECT AND EDITION.

Great job to this company making this fine set of recordings. For those interested in service work and the relationships of jails, professionals and other outside enterprises to the AA process, this is extremely interesting and enjoyable to listen to. The professional panel CDs are actually recorded in stereo, with audience members (recorded from the podium) on one side, and the professional panel of doctors and one rehabilitation counselor on the other side. Very professionally done.

Great AFG recordings. I was at this event and Mark does a very nice job making sure the recordings are just perfect. Thanks to him we can keep carrying the message. I recommend this one for Al-Anons and those interested in how this all works!!! AA++

Wow, thanks Mark, I got the CD so fast, and this is such a great one! FUNNY! Have a great day!!

Compré este libro para un amigo quien se encuentra en recuperación. Lo he leído varias veces, y lo encontré bien informativo. Si usted está en recuperación del alcoholismo, y conocen a un querido así. Se recomienda para profesionales quienes trabajan con alcohólicos.

This is Dick B.'s latest title, and it is the first of four exclusively devoted to A.A. Cofounder Dr. Bob. I like it because it reminds me of my own training as a youngster and the backdrop my family, religion, and education provided. Both my parents were professionals. They saw to my learning about the Bible. They urged my attendance at Virginia Military Institute. And they applauded my service in the Marine Corps. And all this has been put to use in my new life as a married man, business person, Bible student, and outreach to people in recovery. That's the Dr. Bob story. People just haven't known of the excellent training A.A.'s Dr. Bob received as a youngster in St. Johnsbury, Vermont--training in the Bible, prayer, conversion, quiet time, love, and service. The very items he translated into early Akron A.A. when he turned to God and to sobriety and made a new life for himself and thousands of others. I learned here about the influence of his family, church, Sunday school,Christian Endeavor work, YMCA exposure, conversions and revivals, and the solid and stern religious education and discipline he received at St. Johnsbury Academy. The book is an inspiration who look back on their parents and youth with respect and a certain awe. It is a spiritual tool for those who want to do as Dr. Bob did when he and Bill Wilson developed the first and original A.A. program in 1935 and based it on God, the Bible, love, and service.

This book is a collection of 56 stories which were found in either the multilith [1938], 1st [1939], 2nd[1955], or 3rd [1976] editions of Alcoholics Anonymous, aka "The Big Book," but are not contained in the 4th [2001] edition.
The multilith/typed version of the Big Book [available from GSO upon request] contained 20 stories from the 1938 membership of less than 80. One story, "Ace Full - Seven Eleven", did not make it from the Multilith edition to the 1st edition. One 1st edition story, "Lone Endeavor", did not make it into the second printing of the 1st edition. Nineteen of the original multilith stories were included in the 1st edition, and ten more stories were added to the multilith collection for the 1st edition, 1st printing, since the Big Book was skimpy in contents, despite being printed on extra thick paper, and was packaged and priced as a 1939 coffee-table book @ $3.50, to cover a printing cost of 35 cents. [The minimum wage in 1939 was 25¢ per hour = 14 hours of labor needed to purchase a copy of the Big Book. The equivalent 2004 price for the Big Book would be $70!]
Forty-six [Bill Wilson's story is not included in this count of personal stories; Bob Smith's story is counted, under two titles] of these stories were published in either the 1st or 2nd editions. Bill Wilson restructured the 1st edition in 1955. Only two stories from the 1st edition were retained intact. Three were edited, one of which was retitled. Two stories were completely rewritten, and 30 new stories were added to the 2nd edition for a total of 38 stories. The 1st edition, first printing, had 30 stories. The 1st and 2nd editions of the Big Book and the stories contained therein are in the Public Domain, i.e. not subject to copyright restrictions, since neither the 1st or 2nd edition Copyrights were renewed at the end of their original term.
The 3rd edition contained only 10 additional stories not found in the 2nd edition. Twelve of the stories in the 3rd edition were credited to The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., a personal newsletter originated by Bill Wilson to communicate directly to the membership. [This data crediting The A.A. Grapevine, Inc was omitted from the later printings of the 3rd edition.] Five of the stories in the 4th edition are credited to The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.
Almost all of the stories which were dropped from the 1st & 2nd editions were omitted due to the authors' relapses. Cultural changes is given as the predominant rationale for deletions from the 3rd edition and for inclusion of new stories in the 4th edition. A relapse did not cause a story to be dropped from the 4th Edition, "Women Suffer Too." [A listing of all of the stories contained in all four editions and the multilith manuscript is available by email from the reviewer.]

The Golden Books by John Doe are enlighting and work great for anyone with addictions.

Strong points of view when it comes to working a 12-Step program. I would highly recommend these series of books to anyone in recovery.

This book is a compilation of writings from Al-Anon members around the world on the subject of spirituality in its various forms. It includes pieces from several continents, and it has a lot of different slants on the topic. It's undogmatic and inclusive, and it has a lot of appealing contributions from unique individuals. The format mirrors the subject. While it's not a glossy book, it is laid out with plenty of white space and some nice graphics. It's an invitation for the reader to contemplate his or her own spiritual experience. It's simple, direct, and unaffected.

Henrietta Seiberling has been vilified in recent AA-related biographies as a sort of cancer to AA's history. One writer (Francis Hartigan) suggests that Seiberling was jealous of Bill Wilson because Bill "succeeded where she had failed." Others have relegated her legacy to being nothing more than a door greeter, the woman who "happened" to bring together Bill and Dr. Bob Smith. It seems that anyone who spoke out against certain facets of Bill W.'s style has been thrown under the revisionist bus. [Any doubts? Reference Clarence Snyder, Father Ralph Pfau, Jerome Ellison, and Hank Parkhurst.]

"Henrietta B. Seiberling: Ohio's Lady with a Cause" is a gem. Presented at the dedication of the opening of the Stan Hywet Hall's Gate Lodge, Henrietta's residence, this syllabus blends the efforts of Seiberling the teacher, supporter, and believer with the Akron laboratory as led by Dr. Bob. Henrietta was one of several non-alcoholic friends of early AA who were so vital to the movement's infancy. She helped with the first program's spritual structure and understanding. She counseled the alcoholics and helped them look to the cure: God Almighty. And she was weary of AA's eventual transformation into what she termed a "rotary club" conglomerate. Henrietta knew what worked for the early AAs. She was more than simply a witness to the successes of the Akron "alcoholic squad."

This work covers the main ingredients of the Akron legacy of Alcoholics Anonymous and adds key information as to the real Seiberling role. [Dare I say it, Dick's found a real niche with the syllabus format.] It is amazing to see the true picture develop when all agendas are swept aside. If nothing else, the reader will come away with the understanding that Henrietta was by no means a failure with Dr. Bob. Without her aid, we may not be studying the Alcoholics Anonymous story today. That fact in itself warrants a look into this intriguing piece of history.

-Richard K.
Author, Researcher
Haverhill, MA
February 2005